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To contribute to this collective history project, send pictures and stories about the older women in your life to americanagefashion@gmail.com. The more information you can include (date, place, etc.), the better.-
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Tag Archives: textiles
Unquilting/Requilting, 1970
This picture portrays a West Virginia coop turning old quilts into new items. If you look carefully, it appears that the oldest woman in the back on the right is hand stitching a pillow, while the woman at the far … Continue reading
Posted in 1970s
Tagged sewing, shift dress, shirtwaist, textile patterns, textiles, West Virginia
6 Comments
Book Review: Worn by Sofi Thanhauser
This is a staggeringly ambitious book, evident already in the subtitle. By “people” Thanhauser means all people, everywhere. And by “clothing” she considers not only the sewn or knitted garments we use for protection and expression, but also the raw … Continue reading
Aging in Color: Ruth Adler Schnee
Famous textile designer Ruth Adler Schnee (1923-2023) died this month at the age of 99. She is credited with bringing textile design into the world of midcentury modernism. The daughter of an antiquarian bookseller and a Bauhaus graduate, her family … Continue reading
The Sheer Dress at Thanksgiving
No turkey on the table, but I’m guessing this must be Thanksgiving. When else is pumpkin pie the only dessert? As is obvious from the woman who is dolloping out whipped cream, sheer dresses were not only for the old. … Continue reading
The Sheer Dress and the Older Woman
I’ve long been fascinated by older women in sheer dresses. They seem paradoxical to me, revealing an older body shape at a time when many women like to disguise those extra pounds the years have brought. But there is no … Continue reading
Considering the Coastal Grandmother
I’ve been avoiding the topic of the Coastal Grandmother, even though it seems a perfect subject for this blog. Why? It smacks so much of wealth and white privilege. Everything is white, from the people, to the backgrounds, to the … Continue reading
Hope Skillman Fabrics
I’ve been wanting to write about textile designer and manufacturer Hope Skillman (1908-1981) for a long time, but pictures of her—especially with any sense of what she wore—are hard to find. This Vogue advertisement, featuring her fabric on a dress … Continue reading
Posted in 1940s, 1950s, 1960s
Tagged designers, sewing, textiles, women's organizations
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Big Hair at the Grand Canyon, 1972
That’s a pretty elaborate hairdo for a vacation outing, but some people put in a lot of effort to look good no matter what the occasion. This very cheerful woman was not following current hairstyles, which had moved on to … Continue reading
That Seventies Polyester
Was there ever another decade more closely associated with a fabric than the seventies and polyester? I have a book featuring Sears clothing from the early 1970s, and it is simply amazing how many of the clothes are made from … Continue reading
A Faith Ringgold Retrospective
Aren’t there times when you wished you lived in New York City? I wish I were there now to see the Faith Ringgold retrospective at the New Museum. It is the first comprehensive US retrospective of her work, beginning with … Continue reading
Posted in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s
Tagged African American, artist, New Jersey, New York, textiles, visual arts
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